Saturday night, a cargo plane crashed near Paleochori Kavala in northern Greece.

According to Greek Civil Aviation authorities, the plane was traveling from Serbia to Jordan on behalf of a Ukrainian airline.

Due to an engine malfunction, the pilot reportedly requested permission to make an emergency landing at the neighboring Kavala airport but could not reach it.

Almost immediately after, communication with the plane was lost.

People close to the crash site told local media that the aircraft was already ablaze before impact.

Filippos Anastasiadis, the mayor of the impacted hamlet of Pangeo, stated that the jet had been carrying "dangerous material," most likely weaponry.

He told ERT television that neither radioactive nor chemical materials were on board.

Officials report ongoing explosions at the crash site.

According to ERT, the aircraft was an Antonov owned by a Ukrainian business.

Meridian operated the turboprop-powered An-12, which was constructed in the Soviet Union.

The plane crashed in farmland near two villages belonging to the municipality of Paggaio.

The fire department stated that the crash location had been sealed off.

According to local officials, fifteen firefighters and seven fire engines were dispatched to the area. Additional rescuers were en route.

The continuing explosions, however, made it difficult for firefighters to approach the scene, officials added.

"We were hearing explosions until a few minutes ago," Filippos Anastassiadis, mayor of Paggaio, told the Associated Press. "I am about 300 meters from the site of the crash."

"Treat the cargo as hazardous material"

There is no official information regarding the number of passengers on board.

However, ERT stated that the aircraft was carrying eight people and that its payload, which included bombs, was "was dangerous,"

According to the story, police requested that individuals leave the area and that journalists covering the incident wear masks. The residents of the two nearest communities to the site were instructed to keep their windows closed all night, not leave their homes, and wear masks.

The emergency response team was also investigating the situation.

"We are treating the cargo as dangerous material," a fire department representative told Reuters.

Army and explosives experts were on their route to the site, according to ERT. However, they are not expected to begin work before sunrise.

They will be joined by experts from the Atomic Energy Commission of Greece.